Yeah Write Mark

Tag: delicious

  • Los Compas: A love letter to my favorite neighborhood food truck

    Los Compas: A love letter to my favorite neighborhood food truck

    Muy bueno!

    If you know me and are familiar with my track record as a food writer then you are well aware of my near obsession with food trucks.

    So when a taco truck opened up just a few blocks from us a couple of years ago I was both stoked and curious. Mind you, most of the tacos from said trucks that I have had the pleasure of getting acquainted with in my time here in Tucson have been either on the scale of “Yeah, this is good” to “Oh my god, this is fxxking amazing!”

    That doesn’t mean that I’ve had a few dogs of tacos. Not going to mention names but there have been the unfortunate few where I just stare at the taco and wonder “How the heck could they screw this up so bad?” Thankfully that notion is a rarity.

    Calling themselves Los Compas, this lil pink and white rig set up around the corner of Ft. Lowell and Mountain to little or no fanfare. Literally a shout and holler away from our bungalow. Driving by it once or twice it was around the third turn where I knew it was my time to sample the goods.

    If you see it you must come

    If memory serves correct I got a selection of items in the vein of ‘if they mess this up then we got a problem’. Like one or two tacos, a burrito and probably something else. Then I brought it back home for us to try.

    What memory does do me honest is that I immediately fell in love with the food. It was all so good. The chicken and carne asada was cooked and seasoned perfectly, the beans and rice were the same, fresh cabbage and tomatoes, juicy limes, tasty salsas, fantastic pickled red onions – all of it.

    Thank you taco truck gods for sending Los Compas to our fair neighborhood! But screw you too because its not like I’m chubby enough. Jeeze.

    One Sunday coming back from the farmers market I decided to get a bowl of their menudo, which they only serve on the weekends. A lot of people that I know are not fans of menudo, most of the white folks that is, but I have been a defender of the tripe and hominy filled brothy stew since my early days of living in San Francisco. It was there that my screaming hangovers were remedied by the magic that lives in that spicy brew accompanied by thick tortillas and, yes, a beer.

    Los Compas’ menudo did not disappoint. It brought me back to those heady days in the bay area only this time I was not suffering from the alco-fuel regrets of open bars, backstage coolers and general youth filled debauchery. It was just a chilly winter Sunday and that stuff really warmed me up.

    Landscape of the divine

    Owners Karina Salinas and Kevin Andrade are the kind of food truck owners and operators every aspiring chef or entrepreneur should study. They are always there; their product is consistent (and consistently good) and the prices they offer for the product you receive is spot on. Thank you Karina and Kevin. And, yes, today I will have a birria torta please. Gracias.

    One day I had noticed that Los Compas wasn’t in its usual spot. It had moved right on the corner of Mountain and Ft. Lowell and now boasted a cozy seating area inside of a casita. Ca-seat-a? Yeah, sorry. That nook boasted lots of family photos, twinkling lights and even a TV. So now as you enjoy a caramelo the size of your first born you can catch up with your telenovela stories. Did Juan cheat on Soledad with that temptress of a maid Paulina…again? Scandalo!

    Los Compas was doing great apparently and we all celebrated their success.

    That is, until, one day it was gone.

    Not like moved up or down the street as it did before. It was just plain not there. The truck was missing and the casita was closed and locked. Hey! What gives? What happed to our treasured Los Compas? We want answers!

    *fake riot ensues, pitchforks, torches, the whole bit*

    Time became legend, legend became myth and after about a year I would guess we still didn’t have our Los Compas. That stretch of Ft. Lowell was like one big phantom limb: we can still feel it but nothing was there.

    One of each please (image taken from Los Compas Facebook page)

    Until one day it miraculously reappeared. Parked right in front of the old Greek church on, yes, Ft. Lowell. When I saw it I screeched on my brakes like some angsty driver in an old Loony Tunes cartoon, my feet nearly went through the floor.

    Approaching the truck and seeing Karina behind the sliding screen I had to ask where she and Los Compas went. Apparently that spot up the street with the casita didn’t work out and they just needed some time to fix the truck, focus on catering while trying to find a place to park again.

    That Greek church has been empty for quite a while due to a fire causing more damage than they could afford to repair and the plot in front of it was nearly rent free. Once again, thank you food truck gods! Only this time in front of an actual church. Hallelujah!

    All was right with the world again. Well, not really. But our little midtown world is right having Los Compas back and, hopefully, here to stay. A year without my beloved chicken burrito with everything was a dark year indeed. In these trying and confusing times it’s always nice to know you can roll up to a familiar spot, hear that radio play boisterous Tejano music, grab a Mexican Coke (the only Coke you should ever drink by the way) and nosh on delicious comfort food.

    Gracias Los Compas. ¡Sois los mejores!

    This thing right here is what keeps me from being “not slim”

    Tacos Los Compas

    1245 E. Ft. Lowell.

    Weds – Sun : 10am – 5pm

    https://www.facebook.com/LosCompasDeTucson/

  • Holy Focaccia

    Holy Focaccia

    From Brooklyn to Tucson Brick and Mortar, All Praise this Heavenly Bread

    Get there early because they sell out fast
    Breakfast sandwich about to go down

    The power couple behind Holy Focaccia and I go way back. Not like Lollapalooza ’95 way back (seeing as they were not even born yet or just were) as I was lucky enough to meet and write about them in the ascension of their delectable endeavor.

    But it all started in Brooklyn around 2019.

    The whiz kids in the spotlight here, Rachel Colasanto and Zakaria Boucetta, started encouraging their friends try out Rachel’s newfound love of baking focaccia bread. It, or they, were such a hit that the two knew they were on to something scrummy. And possibly lucrative. Every party they threw or attended with the baskets of squared flourishes of Italian descent.

    Then Zak got an offer his architect heart could not pass up: a job here in Tucson.

    Lets see, uh, one of each please
    Zak making the easy sale of yeah, you need this

    So the two moved in 2021 and soon after started baking that loverly focaccia once again.

    It was one of those word of mouth / under hushed tones twitterings in the local food throttle that Holy Focaccia reached my always hungry ears. No, wait, that sounds weird. But, yes, I am always on the lookout for…hold up. How can my ears be on the lookout? This is getting funky. Lets move on.

    Anyway, in 2022 I had the fortunate task of featuring, as mentioned earlier, them for a local food focused media site and all I can tell you dear reader is that it was bready love from the instant.

    Slow Body storage space about to become their new home
    Yes I ate the one from the upper left corner

    First off, Rachel was baking out of an old electric oven that could house maybe 8 to 10 loaves at a time. If that. The two would get up before the sun creaked over the mountains in order to bake before the call time of a 9am pickup.

    Nope, they didn’t have a store front. Those wizards straight worked and sold out of their old place downtown. Obtaining a cottage license made it all possible and before they knew it their lil side hustle that could started to manifest into a this totally is.

    Theirs isn’t just oil and salted focaccia we are talking about here (although that’s how it started out back in Bushwick). Holy Focaccia is the holy dreamscape of flavors, ingredients and ideas that oftentimes rustle up a “Wait, how can these components all come together and like totally work?” Dates, figs, pesto, garlic, black pepper, parmesan, sun dried tomatoes, wild herbs, seeds, scallions, old Star Wars figures, Atari cartridges, a Slayer jigsaw puzzle… Oh, sorry. That was me just looking around my desk. Oops.

    But you get it?

    The space is so cool, with an amazing patio too
    Pretty sure Rachel was putting up a “sold out” sign

    Then came the breakfast sandwiches. Yes, I would get up before the crack of noon to traverse downtown to pick up an ooey gooey eggy cheesy focaccia-y delight when they offered them up on Sunday. Sundays right? That was well over a year ago and me most mornings are “challenging” at best.

    Holy Focaccia started doing pop ups and then regular appearances at farmer’s markets and CSAs (community supported agriculture). Holy fxxk-accia, Holy Focaccia blowin’ up! In a rather short amount of calendar too.

    Disaster struck for me personally when Rachel and Zak moved from downtown to a bigger and more affordable place across town; a bit too far to travel for yours truly. Especially early Sunday morning. But we’ll always have the farmer’s markets and those memories of downtown!

    Quite recently the two began doing regular appearances at Slow Body Beer on E. 17th street. Then I found out, upon a visit, yes, on a Sunday morning to get a, yes, breakfast sandwich, they are there every Thursday at 5pm, Saturday at 2:30pm and, yes, Sunday at 9am.

    As I was stone cold munchin’ on my most excellent of breakfast sandwiches at the bar (no I wasn’t drinking, it was like barely 10am, jeeze) Rachel laid down some big news.

    “This is going to be our new brick and mortar.”

    You heard it here kids! Holy Focaccia, by autumn of this year, 2025, if all goes correct, will find permanence in the unused front section of Slow Body Beer just left of the main entrance. Gone are the golden hued crispy top days of baking out of their home, Rachel, along with actual employees!, are set up in a proper commissary and bake at a fever pace and volume to supply all of their bready nests, and our bellies.

    To think, less than 3 years ago, Rachel and Zak were serving up the good from their back patio and look at them now. They’re all grows up! So proud.

    Being a bit of an amateur baker myself, I asked if they needed any help. She actually said yes but they start at the unholy hour of 4am.

    Um, well…uh. 4am you say? Yeah that’s when I get up for a drink of water, give the cat a treat and then go back to bed. Love you, but, good luck.

    Oh, and don’t forget that Holy Focaccia offers up incredible cookies, cakes, tortes and tiramisu. Be sure to put all of that on your order next time because they are all so inventive and delicious. Not a bad crumb in the bunch. Ever. A remarkable achievement if you ask me.

    Go ahead. Ask.

    Where it all began
    If they build it, we will come

    Congrats Rachel and Zak! I’m glad to have been there from the (almost) beginning here in Tucson only to watch you and Holy Focaccia rise up.

    Yes that was a bread gag.

    Cheers!  

    Holy Focaccia

    https://holy-focaccia.com/

    https://www.instagram.com/holyfocaccia_/

    Words and Pictures

    Mark Whittaker

    yeahwritemark@gmail.com

  • Chefs For You

    Chefs For You

    Kade Mislinski is your go to personal chef and meal prep maestro

    Behold the workings of your new personal chef

    You know one of my favorite things to write about are my friends doing awesome things. Now that I have the total freedom to do that with this website, that’s what I’m going to do. Well, I mean, I’m going to do other stuff as well, but promoting pals and their cool endeavors will be a big part of it. Because its super fun. And because I can. So there.

    This salmon was slammin’

    Kade Mislinski and I go back well over a decade. If not longer. Not exactly sure the exact time and moment when we did become acquainted but I have a feeling it had something to do with food.

    It was probably his time as co-owner of Café Passe down on 4th Ave. It had to have been. If I was ever on the avenue I’d usually pop in for an iced coffee or some kind of delectable nibble. Although if my cloudy cognizance will allow, I’m pretty sure I was at Café Passe one night because they had advertised an evening of drum n bass.

    Drum n Bass and I got acquainted in the mid-90s back in San Francisco at some club called Liquid or Spackle or whatever. I had never heard anything like that before. Kinetic beats, sonic basslines, yet twinged with reggae chillness. Didn’t take long for me to get hooked on that sound. Ever since moving to Tucson in 2006, I had yet to find a space that played that line of frantic dance music.

    But there it was. Café Passe. And none other than Kade Mislinski was behind the decks. Very cool.

    Fresh from his kitchen to yours

    During my time with the Weekly, I got to write about Kade when he operated a steamed burger concept on Grant Ave. It was delicious and an ode to two hamburger stands located in Connecticut. One being Ted’s Restaurant, in Meriden, CT, which has been said to originate the steamed burger concept. The other is Louis’ Lunch, in New Haven, which holds court as the oldest hamburger stand in the US. So it goes.

    Now the line between oldest and steamed burg gets bleary in the greasy throes of American history. Some say Louis’ invented the steamed burger while others say “No! Louis just threw a meatball on the grill, smashed it up and served it to an impatient customer between bread.” Now as a mostly food writer, I don’t even know the case of the steamed burger. Its sort of like the original chimichanga. But that’s a dispute I need to put to rest because I do not want to get into some local trouble.

    For some reason Kade’s steamed burger place just didn’t make it. I totally thought it would.

    Then Covid hit and everything went ker-plunk.

    Kade and I sort of lost contact with one another, except for the occasional social media like or comment. Then quite recently, here in late-early 2025, Kade hits me up and says he is now a personal chef doing meal prep and home delivery.

    Kade is a one man culinary tour de force my friends!

    My man puttin’ in the work

    We hung out one afternoon while he was cooking and prepping for a client and all I could do was gaze in hungry eyed wonder. Every dish he prepared was cooked juuuuust to order as the customer has to heat it up. So easy. So very very good.

    Kade being a Tucson chef and restauranteur for many years now, knows exactly what he is doing. First thing is sourcing small and local. Our bountiful desert agronomy is basically like living in a farmers market, so the pickin’s are plentiful and the products near perfection. Kade will work with you to provide the meals you want with a knowledge of farms and facilities that earned Tucson the first city of gastronomy nod from UNESCO.

    Vegan? He’s got you. Love you some steaks and seafood? Dude, Kade is so on it. Allergies, restrictions or Kosher? C’mon man! Yeah. You’re good.

    Prices range depending on the level of difficulty or how exotic you want those meals to ascribe to. But know this! Its all about making you happy, easing up time on your end and providing healthy sumptuous repasts made with care by a well-seasoned Tucson chef.

    Best thing is, Kade will deliver your fares to you, right to your door, when you want them and when you need them. Forget those premade “dinners” you find at the store. Even the ones you see in mom and pop health food shops are loaded with sodium and still contain ingredients you didn’t know existed. No thank you.

    Farm to face is more like it

    As Kade was packing up a weekly meal plan for a client, he set out a sample of the goods for me to try…that were left over! Gosh. You think he’d rob some bits of a paying customer to feed a food blogging dork like me? Yeah, no.   

    Absolute perfection. Real chicken from a real farm tastes really different in comparison to those that sit in Styrofoam trays sitting just a few clicks down from greeting cards and automotive lubricant.

    The veggies were cooked and seasoned meticulously, as was the rice, the potatoes, the… Look. The man can cook. Let’s just put it that way and leave it there.

    Kade is also available for private parties, catering and personal chef services.

    You want to support local? You want to eat local? You want to eat food that is supported by local, like, everything? My man Kade Mislinski is your go to guy in the pressed chef’s coat. Have skillet will travel!

    Sure Kade is a friend of mine but if I thought his food and service was subpar I would not take a chunk out my day to chat him up on this here website.

    But he is a good man that serves up suburb food and provides an avail that goes above and beyond.

    And he still DJs!

    Thanks for reading, now lets eat

    To hit up Kade, you can contact him via email:

    kmislinski@gmail.com

    Call/Text:

    520-488-9339

    Or better yet, to see him in action, follow Kade’s social media:

    https://www.instagram.com/personalchef_kademislinski/

    https://www.threads.net/@personalchef_kademislinski

    Cheers!

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  • Grape Expectations

    Grape Expectations

    Vertigo Wines offers a new to Tucson concept that will make us all cry “Holy sip!”

    Vertigo Wines founder Kristal Johnson

    Before we even get into it, I just gotta say the owners of Vertigo Wines and I go way back.

    In the early pre weekly and big shot foodie website days of my writing here in Tucson, I operated a dog and pony show of a blog, The Tucson Homeskillet, the same site that got me said jobs with the weekly and locally popular food thingy. Anyway, when I heard about this local ice cream company, Isabella’s, around, oh, I’d say around 2010, it seemed like something really fun to write about.

    Owners Kristal and Dominic Johnson were more than gracious and accommodating to welcome me to their original facilities in that industrial block where Roma Imports and Barrio Brewing resides. I remember it being located right next door to some crossfit gym. In fact, as we were wrapping things up some guy, who obviously over did it in the gym, came out and puked right in front of us. Right off the back landing. Yeah.

    The ice cream was great. Kristal and Dominic were super cool and from there we made a sort of writer-subject buddyship. At least following each other on social media.

    Cut to a few years later, when I was the food writer for the Weekly, I was tasked to write about their THC infused project called Elixir. Oh man, was that fun. I got to go behind the scenes of the dispensary where they cooked and created. So many buds of weed! Like acres of it. Huge glass beakers filled with bright green blooms, some twinged with purple or even white veins. Everywhere. And that smell. The last time I encountered that waft was at a Cypress Hill show. Yow!

    Look, because of my condition, weed, especially 21st century weed, is not conducive to a good time for me. I go insane. But after our interview and photoshoot, Kristal sent me home with a scoop of chocolate ice cream infused with only 10 milligrams. The wife and I had a bite of it that very night. And, yes, we went insane.  

    Barrels of fun…and, yes, wine
    Que Syrah, Syrah

    Now that its 2025 and I’m out on my own here with this new website, Kristal reached out saying they were done with the ice cream biz and were opening up a wine bar downtown.

    The tenacity and ingenuity of some folks astounds me. From ice cream to wine? Nice.

    Located in the old stable house next to Maynards on Toole Ave, Vertigo Wines is set to open soon, hopefully this weekend (March 22nd or 23rd). Actually Kristal is hoping for Friday March 21, that is if everything goes according to plan.

    When we hung out more than a week ago, she wanted to have the opening that weekend but, well, our local county always likes to step in, slap their forehead and go “Oh, but theres just one more thing you need to do before you do that.” And that thing usually takes another week or two to iron out. So it goes.

    “The name Vertigo Wines came about because, well, I had an episode of vertigo,” Kristal said.

    It was right after the passing of a beloved family member. Kristal just stood up one day and got crazy dizzy, to the point where medical attention had to be administered. This was right about the time where their wine concept was beginning to manifest. Not being solid on a name yet, Kristal and Dominic jokingly started calling their new business venture Vertigo Wines.

    “Then it just stuck,” she says. “Plus we liked the way the name Vertigo paired with our bubble design logo. Who hasn’t had a bit of vertigo when you’ve had too much wine?”

    Under the bar downtown, is where you’ll find this love
    You had me at Merlot

    The space for Vertigo is amazing. Cozy, comfortable, cute, all of the pleasant C adjectives. They installed a bar with the base fitted with wine bottle ends dotting about, which only adds to the elegant vibrancy to the space.

    When Isabella’s and Elixir moved on, Kristal worked in the tasting room for Sand-Reckoners winery. When that closed in August of 2024, Kristal and Dominic decided to take over and make the grapes their own. Although they wanted to do something completely different.

    “Vertigo Wines will be Tucson’s one and only barrel to glass, wine blending bar,” announced Kristal quite proudly.

    That’s right vino-philes, you heard correct. On any given night, you can walk into Vertigo, order up a glass of your favorite red, or white, wine, but that doesn’t mean just any ol’ glass of your favorite red. Or white. It can be a combo of reds. Or whites. Syrah matched with Grenache? Sure! Whatever pleases that purple hued palate of yours. Or, heck, just have that Syrah. You’re a big kid. Make those big kid decisions of yours. Mix and match. Discover a flavor that you’ve never experienced before. The best part is, it was YOU that created that flavor. Look at you. So creative. And there you thought you didn’t have it in you. Silly.

    As their not yet ready for primetime (meaning its still in the works) website proclaims: There is a story in every sip.

    Hand painted, hand crafted so give ’em a big hand
    At Vertigo you’ll be sitting, and sipping, on cloud wine

    “Everyone can curate their own glass or bottle based on their tasting,” notes Kristal. “It’s the idea of having the guests more involved in their wine tasting experience. I feel like there’s an excitement, or even a romanticism, involved with the barrels themselves.”

    Oh I forgot to mention they have full bottle service too. Take it home, share with friends and boastfully announce “I made this!” Applause all around, crown placed on your head, mayor gives you the key to the city, etc.

    If you’re like me and need a nosh while you imbibe, Vertigo will be serving up charcuterie plates filled with all sorts of locally sourced tasty bits. They haven’t made anything official yet but there are hints that Maynard’s will have a serving menu for Vertigo, one where you order online and gets delivered right to your table. But that’s future stuff. Vertigo hasn’t even opened yet. C’mon.

    Personally I get a little emotional when I see people I’ve known for a while and written about a few times trying something new and are already a success before they open their doors. Vertigo Wines is set to be a big step in a snug spot by the railroad station for not just downtown Tucson but our whole wine, and food, loving desert expanse. The truth is right there in the barrels…because the barrels are right there!

    You know I’ll be there on the regular. Funny thing is (get this) I’m not even that big of a wine drinker. But after Kristal handed me a glass of a blend that she did not disclose, saying that it was her personal favorite, then taking a proper pull from it all I could exclaim was:

    “Fxxk that’s delicious!”

    Kristal is right at home working hard so you feel like you’re at home
    In that case, yes, I will stay a while longer

    Leave me a seat at the bar because I’ll see you all there soon.

    Cheers!

    Vertigo Wines

    410 N. Toole Ave.

    www.vertigowines.com

    https://www.instagram.com/vertigo.wines/

    Words and Pictures

    Mark Whittaker

    yeahwritemark@gmail.com

  • The Parish Celebrates Their 14th Annual Mardi Gras Festival

    The Parish Celebrates Their 14th Annual Mardi Gras Festival

    Laissez les bons temps rouler!

    That’s Cajun French for “Lazy less bong temperatures rule!”

    No. Wait. Is that right?

    Anyway, if there was a saying in that Southern adopted tongue for ‘let the good times roll’ then it should apply to what local Louisiana inspired gastropub The Parish does every Fat Tuesday.

    This Mardi Gras festival marks the 14th for The Parish and I was fortunate enough to be there. So were a lot of other people. Let’s go!

    Sorry vegans but, yeah
    The Parish’s secret crawdad boil mash pot love soak
    Oh they linin’ up

    Fat Tuesday marks the day that Catholics and some other provinces of church going secularists can party down, eat pulpit shunned crap and get hammer smashed wasted before Lent. Lent, as you may or may not know, is a 40 day (yeah, 40 days!) time for the faithful to cleanse, reflect, rest the body, mind and soul but most painful not eat rich food, red meat and drink the booze-a-fuel!

    Ugh. 40 minutes for me and I’d fold like a fitted sheet on laundry day.

    Honestly, does anybody know how to properly fold that four cornered shame enigma?

    Fat Tuesday is also known as Shrovetide in some areas of Christianity, especially those from eastern Europe. Those pew hounds are known to eat this fried “donut” called a Fastnacht. Its basically a dense hole-less dough bomb replete with fat, sugar and butter. If that doesn’t scream party I don’t know what does.

    Parish owner Bryce Zeagler dunkin’ those daddies
    Seasoned and the reason for the pleasin’
    Parish servers do not hold back on Fat Tuesday

    Well, The Parish does not serve Fastnacht for their Mardi Gras blow out, I am sorry to say, but they do serve amazing Cajun fat kid food. Look, that’s what the chefs and owners call it. Don’t hate. Every Mardi Gras, they have the day’s specials all flown in specially from Louisiana. Otherwise we’d be eating creole spiced javalina and bayou rubbed 24 hour smoke shop employee. Nobody wants that.

    Crawdads? Oh mais oui! Or is it crawdaddys? Crayfish? Kind of depends on where you are from really. One thing is for sure, to secure your seat at the crawdad eating throne at the head of the table, you gotta suck them heads ‘chere. Otherwise you’re wasting the best part and letting your friends and swamp bug eating competitors that your head game is weak.

    That came out wrong.

    Beads of courage because beads are encouraged
    Pretty sure my wife posed for that photo op
    Your new best friends…the bartenders!

    The star of the show without a doubt is the slow smoked alligator. Oh yeah, you heard/read that correct. All-ee-ga-tor. Again, these bayou buddies are shipped in from the 18th state, the child of the Mississippi, then de-scaled, marinated and thrown on the smoker for hours. When the gates open at 1pm, those gators are tender as the current condition of the Saints actually winning a game.

    And you know what, they taste a little like chicken. Unlike nutria. Have you had nutria? I have. Nutria tastes like nutria. Bayou beaver.

    Again, that came out wrong.

    Are you kidding me here?
    Not the best pic, but, you get the idea
    Okay vegans, at least he’s smothered in vegetables and is eating a carrot

    Every year The Parish’s Mardi Gras jubilee keeps getting better and better, bigger and bigger. Bands playing all day, inventive cocktails, Southern beers flowing like wine, good people, good times and the best part for me anyway is some of the best food we get to experience here in Tucson. Its always an honor and privilege to be a part of it and this year was one of the most excellent so far.

    Merci to owners Steve Dunn and Bryce Zeagler for letting me skulk around before the paying customers flooded in to get photos. I’ll see you guys next year.

    Well, I’ll most likely see you before then but…you know what I’m saying here.

    Cheers!

    Words and Pictures

    Mark Whittaker

    yeahwritemark@gmail.com

  • Lost Articles: Herculean Chicken and Yum Yum Pocha

    Lost Articles: Herculean Chicken and Yum Yum Pocha

    Much like losing the Tucson Weekly as their food writer when Covid hit in 2020, I had a good backlog of articles ready to go but never saw the light of published day when I and other writers were all let go by a popular Tucson food based website in late 2023.

    Okay, by “good backlog” I meant two.

    Its always heartbreaking when I have to send that text/email/whatever to whomever I had in the can and report “Hey, yeah, I was just let go so they’re not going to run my story on you.”

    After spending a decent amount of time with each subject, usually a few hours before or after a busy service, chatting and taking photos, we create a bit of an immediate bond. Normally, when an article gets published and I see whoever I featured out in the wild again, there’s always that happy memory glint of how we came to know one another in the first place. That article I wrote.

    But then there’s the other, the one where we see each other again and I have to give a shrug and apology before putting my order in. Its only happened like a handful of times. No literally. Like five times.

    Here are the two that didn’t make it into that popular Tucson Food sItE.

    Here’s the thing, each one had an extensive interview on my old phone with a transcription of our conversation. Those interviews are long gone. So basically what I am going for here are just uploading photos from each one with a little blurb explaining who they are, what they serve, how they do it, etc, without any real actual context from our time together.

    Lets get into it.

    Alberta and Jake serving up some Thai chicken realness

    1) Hurculean Chicken

      When I hung out with chef and owner Alberta Chu, along with her husband Kyle manning the fryer, they were doing a pop up on the back patio of Hello Bicycle. It was a beautiful warm day and there was a good turn out for their Taiwanese inspired fried chicken.

      All I can say is that Alberta and Kyle set me up! They had me try their popcorn chicken, which got them started in the first place, serving folks in bars and certain events, fried chicken served over rice, a huge chicken cut let served in a paper bag, and this super dope chicken sandwich.

      Everything was delicious. Flavorful, spicy, cooked to perfection and above all crispy on the outside and tender on the in.

      Here’s a great article about them from This Is Tucson.

      Enjoy!

      Herculean’s fried chicken platter
      Huge, and amazing, fried chicken cutlet
      Gotta season that popcorn chicken proper
      Alberta Chu with a platter of yes please
      So much chicken, so little time

      2) Yum Yum Pocha

      As the former food truck guy for the aforementioned food site, my gig was to hunt down new mobile eateries or celebrate some classics. When I got word about a Korean food truck called Yum Yum Pocha that was serving ramyeon (Korean ramen) and rice bowls I had to get on that.

      I caught up with Yum Yum’s chef and owner Miyou Wallace in the parking lot of the Foothills Mall as she and her husband John were set up on the cusp of an artisan market.

      They had me try their three meat ramyeon, vegetable ramen, and something called mandoo, which is a fried or steamed dumpling filled with either kimchi, meat or veggies. Ramyeon is normally a bit spicier than the ramen you are usually used to. Which is what I prefer. So good. Miyou’s ramen was delicious as well; lots of soft noodles bathed in a deeply flavored broth with tons of fresh greens swimming on top.

      The mandoos were crazy tasty. Potstickers and eggrolls are one thing, and one of my favorite things, but after trying Yum Yum’s mandoos all I can say is ‘Yahoo!”

      Anyway, This Is Tucson did a piece on them so you can read that here.

      Cheers!

      Let the Yum Yum yumminess begin
      Veggie ramen, in repose
      Ramyeon doin’ it thing
      Have you caught mandoo mania yet?
      House made fish sauce…delish
      Hello Miyou, and thank you!
      Find it because you need it
      Three meats ramyeon had me three times doing a happy jig

      Words and Pictures

      Mark Whittaker

      yeahwritemark@gmail.com

    1. Copal Contemporary Mexican Cuisine

      Copal Contemporary Mexican Cuisine

      It sounds cliche but…expect the unexpected here

      When I heard that a new restaurant concept opened up in the old location where The Dutch resided in the Williams Courtyard Center at Broadway and Rosemont, and that the owners operate one of my favorite taquerias in South Tucson, my immediate giddiness could not be contained. Mainly because it was mere blocks from the house.

      At first glance of its name, anticipating that it would serve cuisine cumulating from areas south of our border, I read it as Comal. A comal, as you may or may not know, is a round cast iron pan used in kitchens across the entirety of South America and any and all cocinas here and abroad. But wait, that’s not an M, that’s a P. Copal?

      Using Google translate, I was quick to discover that copal translated into English was…copal. Huh.

      Camarones Al Ajillo

      When I entered the neon fused yet somehow comfortably lit restaurant and was met by co-owner and cocktail director Alex Bohon, I had to ask about the name of his new place.

      “Copal is the incense used during Day of the Dead,” Bohon explained. “It’s a really pleasing scent and we always burn one before lunch and dinner service. Its helps ward off evil spirits and inspire good times.”

      At first glance of Copal, one is met with a sense of intimate invitation along with a cantina space due to the wellspring of agave bottles behind the bar. Along with the neon, which is delightfully subtle.

      Creative cocktails that don’t mess around

      Alex, along with his dad Ramon, opened up Copal in July of this year (2024) riding on the success of their previous endeavor, Taqueria La Esquina, which was mentioned earlier as being a personal go to for delicious Mexican street food and probably some of the best churros I have ever had the pleasure to get acquainted with. You will too.

      The first location the Bohon boys had their eye on was a spot of 4th Ave, a corner, yes, that is and was a revolving door of eateries and drinkeries that come and go all too frequently. So Alex and Ramon waited patiently until the right non-temporary residency opportunity arrived.

      Muy bueno!

      Not long after The Dutch shut its doors, the Bohon’s moved in and immediately knew that another taqueria concept in that area probably wouldn’t fly as well as it does on the corner of south 6th and Irvington.

      “Tucson is saturated with Sonoran and Mexican cuisine that’s been Americanized”, Alex states. “So we took inspiration from several regions and fused them together to make one harmonious family of Mexican flavors.”

      Alex Bohon (left) with chef Joshua Richards

      Copal’s original chef did not work out (like not at all, Alex notes) so it was time to get a seasoned and respected chef filled with bright ideas and knowledge of what Tucson likes to eat.

      Joshua Richards, formerly of the Jackrabbit Lounge, came aboard and worked with the Bohons on a menu that will delight, invite and at times even incite challenge to what we know about Mexican food and dining.

      First off, there are no chips and salsa served before your meal. That was something anyone can get anywhere Bohon and Richards determined. Secondly, no beans and rice on your plate. Once again, it’s been overdone and its another western influence they knew they had to move on from.

      Did…did we mention the amazing cocktails here?

      Copal is not set up for routine office parties or huge gatherings, as most cavernous Mexican restaurants are known for. Here, you sit with a loved one, or maybe two or three, quietly enjoying each other’s company and the savory food and sumptuous libations you are about to enjoy. Need a space for Brayden and Kayden’s birthday party? Yeah there’s a place a few blocks west of here that will take you.  

      The focus at Copal is a visceral ascension of dishes both familiar and completely unique.

      Take for example the Salmon Al Xocolate. If you read that as ‘chocolate’ and then went right to ‘mole’, you have then been misdirected. The wild caught salmon is marinated in soy and sesame then seared with ancho chiles and coco nibs. But, no, it is not mole.  Its something undeniably unto itself that needs to be experienced to be appreciated.

      Their Elote Ice Cream…unreal

      Its labeled an appetizer but the Camarones Chupate Los Dedos is a near formidable plate of butterflied shrimp, still in their shell, grilled then finished with a house special spicy sauce. Is it a little messy? A bit. Is it a little spicy. Oh sure. But is the full food adventure in the end worth it? Oh mucho si!

      There are of course plenty of vegetarian options. For a new taste tingle, go for the Roasted Wild Mushroom Medly, a bowl stacked with locally grown mushrooms which are roasted in a stone oven and served with a honey citrus yogurt. It can easily be vegan if you omit the yogurt but, honestly, you’re going to want that yogurt. It pairs and excels the dish so nicely. But the mushrooms on their own are still amazing.

      Copal is going to be the next formidable contender in the agave bar arena. Having tried their Tamarindo Paloma and Mexican Old Fashioned all I wanted to do was get up on that bar and perform some kind of heady cha cha. But Copal is a respectable environment so I just stuck to sipping while saying gracias.

      Wild mushroom medley

      Okay. Now here is where the day got even better, if not somehow complicated. Chef Joshua brought out their signature dessert: Elote Ice Cream. Shaped like an actual ear of corn, it’s a secret recipe vanilla flavored ice cream that is infused with cobs of freshly used corn. Yes. You heard correct. It may sound a bit odd but the second I took a bite I knew that I was invited to a party I was highly underdressed for. This was pure magic on a chilled plate. This is something that will not only bring everyone to the yard, but it will bring them to the endzone and then make a perfect kick for that extra point. Congratulations, you now have a new ice cream addiction.

      “We are proud to call ourselves a no waste kitchen,” Richards proudly boasts. “Even discarding corn cobs seemed like a bad option. So I threw them in our ice cream and, well, there you go!”

      With the experience of Taqueria La Esquina behind them, and the passion of Copal in front of them, Alex and Ramon Bohon are deliciously contributing to our fair city of gastronomy. So with a frosty agave cocktail in hand, and a belly full of innovative multi-regional fare in our bellies, all we can do is raise our glasses and proclaim salud!

      Copal

      5340 E. Broadway

      Monday – Thursday: 11am – 9pm

      Friday and Saturday: 11am – 10pm

      Sunday: 11am – 8pm

      http://www.copaltucson.com

      instagram.com/copaltucson

      Words and Photos by Mark Whittaker

      yeahwritemark@gmail.com

      520-861-4198                                                                                                    

    2. Midtown Vegan Deli & Market

      Midtown Vegan Deli & Market

      A Meat Free Joint That Is Full Of Heart

      The corner of 5th Street and Rosemont has been a spinning food circus of meat-centric operations. Mainly consisting of Kosher delis, that space has been known for its delicious food for decades upon decades, all centered around cured beefy bits, creamy salads and other animal forward dishes.

      After the last deli closed its doors in the shake wake of Covid, a new concept moved in soon after. Only this time it would be completely animal product free. Like 100% plant based.

      Nothin’ but goodness at Midtown Vegan Deli & Market

      Midtown Vegan Deli and Market opened its doors in 2021 to a rousing sigh of cruelty-free relief. Now, don’t get me wrong, the guy typing these words is a strident omnivore, but after constant bouts with drippy burgers, endless birria tacos and the illustrious Sonoran hot dog, it’s really nice to take a break from all that flesh forward food and give the animals involved a break as well.

      Owner Tanya Barnett says that Midtown was born from hosting vegan cooking nights with her friends. At first they were monthly, then every other week, then every week as the vegan nights began to grow in fun and popularity. When the former occupant of 5071 E. 5th Street vacated, Barnett drew up a plan and the cogs of Midtown began turning.

      The Death Free Foodie bagel, uh…yes please!

      “The idea for Midtown was more out of necessity than to make money,” says Barnett who is also a licensed real estate agent. “Veganism is a still growing movement and I knew that people, be them vegan or meat eaters, would appreciate a place that just serves up really delicious food that just happens to be plant based and cruelty free.”

      The response to Midtown Vegan Deli and Market was an almost immediate embrace. Sure there are plenty of restaurants that are vegan, or at least offer vegan delights, but Midtown serves up fat kid comfort food and you would never know that a finned or four legged friend wasn’t involved.

      A supreme Crunchwrap Supreme to that other crunchwrap supreme. You know what I mean?

      For breakfast (yes they totally serve breakfast) you gotta try the Chicken and Waffles. Its Southern fried goodness over a fresh waffle, a waffle that happens to contain no dairy, and the chicken itself is a wizard construct seeing that it is chicken but it totally isn’t.

      Speaking of vegan sorcery, Midtown has paired with local blogger Hannah Hernandez, aka the Death Free Foodie, to create the Death Free Bagel, easily one of my favorite items on the all day menu. A house made bagel of your choice is then stuffed with, get this, bacon, egg, cheese and sausage, none of which employ the use of a critter, then its finished with jalapenos, microgreens and maple syrup. So good.

      Midtown’s burger of the month will always make your day

      For sandwiches you can get a full on Reuben, Philly “cheesesteak”, and even a tuna melt that goes by the name Tuno because there aint no tuna in this thing. Yet, somehow, there is.

      Of course Midtown has a full run of salads and wraps, because what good well intentioned flesh free eatery wouldn’t? And, of course, they offer up a smoothie menu, a fruity cavalcade of cold sippin’ yum, a necessity in the Tucson heat, even though it is officially winter as I type this. And 90 degrees.

      For all your vegan cooking needs

      If you’re craving a diner experience without the diner slop, get you a basket of tater tots or fries and order up one of Midtown’s infamously thick and tasty milkshakes that have, you guessed it, no milk. Because you dip your fries or tots in your milkshake right? Yeah. Its like the best thing ever but sounds weird on tape. Sort of like, well, chicken and waffles and our beloved Sonoran hots dogs.

      Oh. That’s right. Midtown has a Sonoran hot dog! And the Sonoran hot dog is absolutely scrummy! No dogs were harmed in this dish because that’s not the modus of Midtown’s motivation. Or should be anyone’s really.

      Way too much cool stuff in their market

      Every Tuesday and Thursday you can order up a beefed up (without the beef) crunchwrap that is supremely better and bigger than that run for the border corporate snore. Midtown also does a burger of the month so stop in at least every four weeks to see what the kitchen magicians have concocted. Personally I have experienced fast food style, Mediterranean influenced, slathered with chili, double decker and kitchen sink everything rampage burgers. All of which are equal in amazingness yet being totally different from one another.

      You now know about the deli, lets get down to the market.

      You gotta fight for your right to not eat your fuzzy/finned/feathered/four legged friends!

      When you walk in, on either side of Midtown, you are treated to a color whirl of environmentally conscious products, be them local or from a far off exotic location. Sauces, cereals, bulk food, frozen dinners, juices, condiments, desserts, you name it. They even have a rotating selection of fine craft beers. Because nothing goes better with an egg salad sandwich that is completely devoid of egg and Buffalo style crinkle cut fries than a tall cold one. Ammirite?

      Midtown does their own baking and offers up sweet treats like cookies and cakes but they have partnered with Holden’s Rise Above bakery so there is a full selection of their vegan goodies on display at the deli counter.

      If you consume meat or have completely gone green in your diet, either way you must make Midtown Vegan Deli and Market a destination no matter what part of town you are currently calling home in, what proteins you consume or politics you lean toward. Everything here is all so very very good.

      Enjoy!

      Midtown Vegan Deli & Market

      5071 E. 5th Street @ Rosemont

      http://www.midtownvegandeli.com

      (520) 849-5553

      http://www.instagram.com/midtownvegandeliandmarket

      http://www.facebook.com/midtownvegandeli/  

      Monday – Saturday: 9am – 9pm

      Sundays: 9am – 4pm

      Words and photos by Mark Whittaker

      yeahwritemark@gmail.com

      520-861-4198